Is This Real?
by roo17
Summary: This is based on a doujinshi. Luffy wakes up after the war. Ace is dead, or is he? Is this real or is it just another dream?


Is This Real?

_**Summary: This is based on a doujinshi I saw on YouTube. Luffy wakes up after the war. Ace is dead, or is he? Is this real or is it just another dream?  
**__**Warning: THIS IS HOW IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN, ODA!**_

_**x x x  
**__Think back to the days we laughed, we braved these bitter storms together  
__Brought to his knees he cried, but on his feet he died  
__What god would damn a heart?  
__What god drove us apart?  
__-Rise Against (Make It Stop)  
__**x x x**_

Luffy dropped to his knees, his eyes fixated on the sky above. Next to him was a fallen tree that was sadly caught up in his earlier desperate attempts to wake himself up from this horrible nightmare called reality. He probably reopened a few minor wounds on his arms and face, but he didn't care. Hell, all he felt was numb. It wasn't right, this wasn't happening. _'Ace…'_

_x flashback x_

_Luffy panted as he tried his best to keep up with his new friends Sabo and Ace but found himself falling farther and farther behind. Ahead, he could hear Ace and Sabo talking. "Go Luffy, go Luffy!" Sabo cheered him on and it helped him push on. Sabo was always encouraging him, unlike Ace._

_"What are you doing? Stop encouraging him!" These words, though, seemed to make Luffy push himself harder than ever. He needed to do this, he needed to catch up!_

_"Hngg! I can do this! I must beat Ace and Sabo!" But just as Luffy got himself pumped up for this, he felt his foot get caught on a root and he hit the ground hard face first. "Ouch…" He propped himself onto his elbows and looked up for Sabo and Ace, but they were already out of sight. "Ouch…" They weren't there. Of course they weren't, why would they wait for him? He was just in the way. Just like Ace said, he was weak and a crybaby. Luffy bit his lip and pressed his forehead into the dirt. Why couldn't he keep up! Why was he so weak!_

_"Luffy!" Said person snapped their head up and spotted Ace and Sabo with their hands out. "C'mon!" They said in unison. Luffy just stared. Did they really come back for him? Sabo smiled, his hand still extended._

_"Don't lie around in such a stupid way." He looked over to Ace who seemed annoyed, yet a line of concern could be seen in the boy's eyes._

_"Don't cry like a baby!"_

_"O-Okay." Luffy reached his hands out, taking both extended hands tightly. He grinned happily. They didn't leave him behind! Ace couldn't help but smile too. But as the two boys went to pull Luffy up, they found the boy's arm stretch beyond his normal length and they stood there shocked. "Oh, I forgot. That's my secret power."_

_"You're strange, Luffy!" Sabo commented._

_"With this power, I'll become king of the pirates! And you two can join my crew!"_

_"No way!" The two older boys yelled in unison._

_"What? But we're family!" Luffy looked down at the hands he held. "My family."_

_x end x_

Luffy looked down at his bandaged and battered hands. _'I had a family.'_ He clenched his hands into fists as tears dropped onto them. _'Now I'm alone.'_ He brought them to his teary eyes. He hated this feeling, absolutely hated it. _'That can't be true…'_

_"Haha, Luffy! You always cry like a baby!"_ He could hear Ace's words echo in his mind. He bit his lip.

_'…Ace.' _Tears pool in his eyes again just thinking about the teen. He brought his hands down on the ground hard in anger and frustration. _'Damn! Why can't I be stronger! I'm weak!'_ He started crying again, he couldn't stop the tears from flowing. _'Sabo… Ace… I'm sorry.'_ He grabbed his head with a hand. His head, it throbbed with the pain of memories. _'It's all my fault. I have lost everything! Why? Ace… Why couldn't I protect you! I need you. Ace! Please come back to me!' _ He cried to the sky, cried for his brother to come back. He cried and cried and cried.

Law sat near Jimbei and gave a sigh, Luffy's hat in his hands. "I think he's sleeping now." Jimbei glanced at him, listening to his surroundings.

"You're right, it's gotten quiet."

"Luffy destroyed everything," Law commented. "It's very hard for him at the moment, but his wounds will heal quickly."

"I see. But what will happen after he wakes up?" The fishman asked, curious. Law simply shrugged.

"We'll see about that. His mental wounds are the worst. He must manage them alone." Jimbei remembered Ace's words ring in his mind and he looked to the pirate.

"Law-San, I promised Ace-Kun… that I would protect Luffy with my life."

"He will be okay, Jinbei-San," Law inserted, seeing where the former shichibukai was coming from. "I sent someone to him. I'm wondering… He recovered very quickly." Jinbei simply stared at the pirate before suddenly realizing the man's words.

"No, that's impossible…"

Luffy had fallen asleep in the spot he had been before, right next to the broken tree. Even as he slept, tears seemed to want fall from his eyes. "Ace…" He thought he heard footsteps approaching, but quickly ignored them. "It was only a dream, right?" He slowly opened his eyes and spotted a pair of familiar boots not far from his face. His eyes widened. Those shorts, that knife, that body, that face.

"Luffy, you never change. You always cry like a baby." That voice. Ace gave a soft grin. "As you can see, I'm alive, Luffy." Luffy couldn't believe his eyes, all he could do was stare. "Missed me?" Luffy wasted no time and flew himself at Ace, quickly catching the teen in a tight hug.

"Ace!" Ace hugged back, that same soft smile on his face.

"Yes, it's me… who would take care of my little brother if I died?" Luffy made no reply but simply continued to hug his brother. Ace wasn't dead! "Thank you, Luffy, for trying to save me. Thank you." Luffy made no movement, no sound. He just held onto his brother, glad he was alive and well. "I'm proud… and very impressed. You became really strong!" The words brought tears to Luffy's eyes and he cracked a smile. Hearing those words made him feel better, that he wasn't completely useless after all. Ace hugged him tightly again.

"Ace! I thought I lost you forever!"

"You will never lose me. Luffy…" And then Luffy woke up. He quickly sat up to look at Ace.

"Ace?" But nothing was there. He was alone again. "A dream…?" But that dream had been so real! Reality sunk back in and Luffy lifted his hand to his heart, feeling it break all over again. "Just a dream." His head throbbed painfully again. _'I have lost you. Ace is dead…? My brother…'_ Ace's smiling face flashed in his mind. _'Is really… This cannot be happening!'_ Tears started again and Luffy made no attempt to stop them. "Damn! I'm weak!" He wiped away the tears harshly._ 'It's my fault!'_ "Why can't I be stronger!" _'Ace is really dead.'_ Just thinking those words stung so badly. He threw himself at the ground again and again. "I'm weak! _I'm_ _weak!_!" _'It's all my fault, Ace…'_ "Ace… I'm sorry that I'm weak. Ace…" _'So weak…'_ "Ace…" Too busy crying, Luffy never heard quiet footsteps approach him. _'I'm sorry…'_ He was too busy crying to notice someone standing near a tree watching him. _'Ace…'_

"Luffy?" Luffy froze and he turned slowly towards the voice. That voice… it couldn't be. But there was that soft smile and freckled cheeks.

"Sorry… for worrying you." More tears. More and more. There was Ace, standing there all bandaged up. Those beads around his neck, were those real? Was this a dream? Ace's entire chest and torso were bandaged, along with his forehead, arms and legs. That's right, the Ace from his dream wasn't bandaged. So… this was real, right…?

"No… This can't be possible." But that soft expression couldn't be fake, only the real Ace could give a look like that. "Is it a dream again?" The elbow pad, the shorts, the belt, the tattoo… "Is this real?" Ace was just standing there. Maybe it was a ghost, a ghost to haunt him and tell him he was _weak_ and that if he was _strong_ Ace would be _alive_ right now. Luffy didn't want it to be another dream, he didn't want to think his brother was alive unless he was _absolutely_ _sure_ this was real. "Are- Are you real…?" Ace's expression turned to one of a soft concern and guilty look.

"Luffy… Don't worry. I'm alive, Luffy." Those words again, were they real this time? He bit his lip and felt pain. He was awake this time, right? _'It's not a dream.'_ Luffy got onto his knees and Ace ran towards him. _'It's real.'_ He dashed towards Ace. _'He's alive.'_ He was within reach of Ace now. So close… _'Ace…'_ They collided in a hug and Luffy wrapped his arms around's Ace's neck tightly. _'Ace is alive!'_ Ace flinched and took a step back from the pain in his wounds, but instantly wrapped his arms around Luffy, ignoring the searing pain. _'Ace!' And if is still a dream, I want to never wake up again.'_ Luffy's arms and hands ached with pain, but he didn't care. He clung to Ace and planned on never letting go.

"I can't believe it. You aren't dead! Ace, I'm so happy!" He cried happily into Ace's shoulder and Ace dug his face into Luffy's shoulder.

"Thank you, Luffy… for saving me. You never gave up on me. I'm really glad to be alive." Those words… For a while, Luffy thought he'd never hear those words from Ace. But hearing them now, it only proved that Ace was indeed alive.

"Ace, Ace, Ace! Ace! Ace! Ace, Ace, Ace, Ace!" Calling his name between sobs, Luffy buried his face even deeper into his brother's shoulder. He was too happy! His brother was alive! Ace pulled Luffy away gently and grabbed his wrist.

Luffy… do you remember? I promised that I would never die. So I will never leave you alone." The words brought tears to Luffy's eyes and Ace gave a soft and weak chuckle. "Hey, you're strong now. Stop crying like a little child," he softly said, and as usual, Luffy bit his bottom lip to stop crying.

"But- But- But Ace…! I thought I'd never see you again! It was so dangerous and–"

"Right! What you did was very dangerous and stupid!" Ace scolded. "Luffy! You can't risk your life so easily!"

"But- But Ace…" And Ace gave that soft smile again. He wiped away Luffy's falling tears gently.

"It's okay. Stop crying." Then Ace's voice seemed to crack a little as he buried his face in Luffy's hair. "Thank you, Luffy," he whispered quietly. "It's okay. I'm here right now." He held Luffy close to him, feeling guilty he put his brother through so much pain. "Luffy…" He took Luffy's face in his hands. "I'm very proud of you." He placed his forehead on his brother's. "My little idiotic brother." They both cracked a grin and chuckled a little as they pulled each other into one more hug. "We will stay together forever. I'll be there for you. I promise."

**x x x  
****Oi~! Ivy the Vine here! Me and roo were dared to write this by one of our internet friends. Sooo… here it is! We first saw the doujinshi here:**

**Youtube. com/watch?v=MGgXJpU6gqg&list=UUst6fzbIUl_uz4XlOCAh83Q&feature=plcp  
****(Make sure to take out the space between . and com.)  
****So tell me what you think? Did we do okay? We hope so… If not, tell us! We don't mind criticism! :D**

_~Ivy the Vine  
__~roo the ice elemental_


End file.
